The present invention relates to a handling system for lifting and/or moving a person from a first position to another according to the preamble of claim 1, a user interface for a handling system according to the preamble of claim 15 and a method of handling a person.
The available systems for lifting disabled persons usually incorporate the functionality of moving the lifted person from a position to another.
The most commonly used lift system involves the use of four wheels positioned in opposite corners of a fork-shaped basic frame of the system. Some of the wheels are usually of type that directionally may move freely and thus allowing an assistant to push the lift system in a preferred direction.
The system has the significant disadvantage of requiring an assistant to push the lift system. Further, the system necessitates a lot of space in order to be steered around in narrow spaces e.g. in a person's bed or living room.
To avoid an assistant, or facilitate the job of the assistant, more advanced lift systems have been broad forward such as systems in which electric motors drive an axle of the wheels. The systems are usually equipped with push buttons or joystick allowing the person or the assistant to move the lift forward or backward at different speeds. The lift systems with electric motors still require significant space in order to be steered around. With the electric drive and supporting user interface the space requirement are often higher than with manually driven systems due to limitations and less precision in the user interface. Such a lift system with these disadvantages is e.g. known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,371.
The invention provides a handling system for lifting or moving a person from a first position to another, a user interface and a method that avoid the abovementioned disadvantages.
The invention further provides a handling system that allows the handling system to be steered in an easy and natural way e.g. in limited spaces by the lifted person or an assistant.